Obama to deploy 1,200 National Guardsmen to the border

posted at 3:35 pm on May 25, 2010 by Allahpundit

The Obama administration plans to announce Tuesday that it will send as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to improve border security, an Arizona congresswoman said.

Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords also said in a statement released Tuesday that President Barack Obama will request $500 million in funding for border security…

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s spokesman said the governor hadn’t been told of the move prior to her office being contacted by The Associated Press and had no immediate comment.

We’ve seen this movie before and it was dismal enough that I’m not real excited about the sequel. As with so many things, it’s a case of The One following Bush’s lead, making a show of border security in hopes of softening opposition to a comprehensive immigration bill in Congress. It almost certainly ain’t happening this year, but half a bil for enforcement at least gives purple-district House Dems a talking point ahead of November.

Like Exurban Jon, I’m amused that Giffords wants people to believe she was the catalyst for this. Surely the credit rightfully belongs to America’s most stalwart border enforcer: Maverick.

President Barack Obama made a rare visit to a Senate Republican lunch Tuesday – and Republicans, including John McCain, took direct aim at the White House on everything from health care to border security.

Inside the lunch meeting, Obama squared off with his old rival McCain over border security, sources said. Lindsey Graham said the exchange was at times “testy,” and sources described Obama’s conversation with McCain as rather direct.

McCain said he told Obama: “We need to secure the borders first. He didn’t agree.”

Well, he agrees enough to deploy a token force down there, albeit one that’s less than half the size requested by McCain and Jon Kyl. Baby steps, maybe?

Via Dave Weigel, here’s a sneak preview of what may well be this weekend’s presidential YouTube message. I just hope The One wears the colonial wig.

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Troops must be armed and allowed to return any hostile fire.First Soldier that is gunned down unarmed and stupid will need to take Air Farce 1 to France. An empty firearm is a waste makes the effort high risk and a joke all PR BS from DC.Soldiers must have the ability to defend themselves,they did in chockolet city.
Send General Honore,first incursion from the druggies and lights out.Hot persuit with a Blackhawk,then tell calderon TS.

We’ve seen this movie before and it was dismal enough that I’m not real excited about the sequel. As with so many things, it’s a case of The One following Bush’s lead, making a show of border security in hopes of softening opposition to a comprehensive immigration bill in Congress. It almost certainly ain’t happening this year, but half a bil for enforcement at least gives purple-district House Dems a talking point ahead of November.

Bush did not just make a show of border security, he signed on for the wall and doubled the number of border agents. And he sent the Guard there not just for show, but because Governors in the region wanted it as well. It was what people wanted and demanded…would you prefer there was no fence or drones or virtual fence or additional border agents or additional detention centers and increased numbers of deportations?

In fact, even in Arizona there has been talk of a need for more than 1,200 troops, maybe 3,000. I don’t doubt that Obama is doing this because he is feeling the pressure politically, but at the same time I think any additional security is a good thing.

To all those wondering how Obama could deploy NG without consulting with AZ Gov – he signed an Executive Order establishing a Council of Governors. This body is to be consulted regarding deployment of NG, among other things. Make of it what you will.

Passing a law to deal with illegals is a bad thing.
Sending troops to deal with same shall be viewed by the left as a good thing. A time when liberals and Conservatives might agree…
Such a strange and twisted logic employed by the left. So childlike it’s just amazing.

I think Obama is delusional.He thinks he can waltz in for only the second time since he became dictator ,and coax the Republicans to back all his plans?Sure, so far this week hasn’t been the best for him. Rising blame for the oil disaster creeping his way,lowest approval numbers of his Presidency, and old Joe Sestak maybe implicating the WH in some sort of bribe. To make it all OK, he throws the Republicans a bone by gracing them with his presence,says he’ll send 1200 National Guard to the border, and will go to the Gulf to stem the flow of oil with a wave of his hand. Yeah, right. What an absolute disgrace.

O.K.I’m confused(as usual).
The article states that Gov.Brewer hadn’t been told about the move(I assume that means the sending of NG troops)
into Az.
I thought that the POTUS couldn’t legally send in the NG without a specific request by the Governor.
Can someone explain?

Not sure how much control the Governors have over the NG anymore….ever since Obama signed into law the “Council of Governors” law.
I think they can only order them during times of natural disasters and anything else they need either approval of this “council” or from the President.

There was a young Soldier on my plane the other day, a sniper, who just got home from Iraq a few weeks ago. He says he never fired a shot while he was there. What a waste … maybe we could put his special talents to use on the border … to fire warning shots.

“I thought that the POTUS couldn’t legally send in the NG without a specific request by the Governor.
Can someone explain?”

You’re forgetting that this is the clown who said he had visited 57 states during the election campaign. Again, again and over again, this boob shows that he was educated in his formative years outside the US, and has ZERO understanding of basic civics education. Although, having said that, I’m not sure this dunce even has the intellectual capacity to understand basic civics.

Uh….hello Nancy. We’re gonna need about 1,200 more of those bracelets…….

President Chump rolls again. Don’t get me wrong, troops on the border can’t hurt. But if this guy is so strong in his convictions, why did he roll on this? All it is gonna take is one tiny little incident and there will be hell to pay.

O.K.I’m confused(as usual).
The article states that Gov.Brewer hadn’t been told about the move(I assume that means the sending of NG troops)
into Az.
I thought that the POTUS couldn’t legally send in the NG without a specific request by the Governor.
Can someone explain?

these guys can’t take a leak without requesting more funding. why would they need $500 million for a job they are supposed to be doing anyway? And don’t they ever have enough? for god’s sake they must have half a billion lying around somewhere they could round up for this. Couldn’t they just once give us the impression that they are trying to hold fast on expensives, instead of constantly rattling a tin cup.

In Puerto Rico, the Governor is the CIC of Puerto Rico’s National Guard. They are deployed on the island in case of an emergency, and train there; sometimes they fly overseas (here) to train with our troops.

In case of WAR, POTUS can then trump it. Obama cannot call on a National Guard for immigration purposes because it’s the Governor’s call. In PR there is a serious border problems (we are surrounded with water, duh) so PR relies heavily on PR Police’s Maritime Unit & USCG. The PR Ports Authority, along with the FAA control air and sea. The Feds may intervene when it comes to drug cartel involvement & pursue proper investigation.

I imagine the Crackberries between Palin and Brewer. Priceless! Remember Palin visited her unit in Iraq and we saw the fabulous gun training video.

I want her to travel to Iraq/Afghanistan, as USO. Can she do that, anybody knows?

Not sure how much control the Governors have over the NG anymore….ever since Obama signed into law the “Council of Governors” law.
I think they can only order them during times of natural disasters and anything else they need either approval of this “council” or from the President.

Does anyone else know?

tencole on May 25, 2010 at 4:33 PM

While everyone was sleeping…….the Governor’s panel must OK a state’s request to deploy the State’s Guard.

Not certain but I believe it was an Exec Order this past year. I have it in that vortex called a ‘file.’ Anyhoo, I might be off just a little bit on the legal procedure, but damned close.

I’m guessing that Obama told the Congresswoman that he was sending troops, but didn’t imagine that she’d hold a press conference and tell the world. He was just spouting off some blather in order to quell her concerns.

I guess after all the public screaming about how little Obama is doing on border security and after all the mid-east Muslims streaming in from Mexico he has decided to do something cosmetic. They could use ten times that number of boots on that long boarder with hundreds of helicopters & other aircraft, and of course a real wall like the Israelis have.

Surely aliens caught should be punished enough so they won’t readily try again after deportation.

2) How long will they be deployed (as individuals)? 30 days? 90 days? 6 months? Hmmm….how long before this 1200 get tired and begin raising complaints?

3) When they start complaining, what will happen? Ah! Another 1200 or so will be ordered in as replacements. When they get tired and worn out, another 1200. And so on and so on….

4) Until…..nobody in the AZ National Guard wants to go to the border.

5) Then what will the polls in AZ show regarding “protecting the borders”? Well, we might have to reach out to say, Iowa or Kansas to find more NG troops who are fresh and ready to “protect the border”.

It’s called attrition. 1200 soldiers isn’t enough to have any real, lasting effect on border security. However, 1200 at a time for a year or two changes the temper of the people who have to do it.

Well, he agrees enough to deploy a token force down there, albeit one that’s less than half the size requested by McCain and Jon Kyl. Baby steps, maybe?

Active Duty Military out of Ft Bliss have been involved with the Southwest border region since 1989 in an counterdrug task. If Obama was serious, and not just using this for political gain, then he would use JTF North for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking.

Will they really go to the border ?
What will their orders be ? Count the number of people slipping across the border so we can form a bi partisan panel to study the impact
SHOOT ON SITE should be the orders no less than that does any good .
How many would try and cross the border knowing some young kid fresh out of Ft Benning Ga would be keeping score in his sniper log book ?

Obama probably had his administration draw up the legal challenges to sending the guard to the border and then can face the public and say ” those darn Republicans stopped me fm protecting the border ”
Then again the timing is suspect we have the SESTAK bribery scandal erupting and the Gulf oil spill
I bet Libya is happy they are not getting bombed

I’ve not read Obama’s proposal to militarize our Southern border, but I must say that it raises concerns about people being harassed because of the way they look when they go out for ice cream. I’m concerned about minorities, mind you. I want to make sure this isn’t implemented in a racist way. I’m not explicitly saying that Democrats are racist. I’m only implying it.

So now I’ve got ask if an executive Order can supercede the Constitution.

DDT on May 25, 2010 at 4:39 PM

An Executive Order has no force of law. It can neither pre-empt existing laws nor create new laws.

It is an order within the Executive Branch only.

Examples:

An EO can be used to prevent the CIA from assassinating someone (or anyone). There is no law passed by Congress that prohibits assassinations by the CIA, or that requires the CIA to do it. If there were, the EO would be in violation of US law.

An EO can be used to order the various Secretarys to wear green suits with yellow ties.

An EO cannot lay new taxes or create new States.

Its basically a policy statement (or for those military types, a Standing Order).

HA
The border is about 350 miles long.
So what is Obama going to do tell each soldier to position .himself 1,540 feet away from his buddy ?
If we are to believe that there are DANGEROUS violent drug gangs and smugglers then it only makes sense that the soldiers deploy in squads of at least 6 – 12 men
6 man grouping would position them 9,240 feet part that is 1.75 miles apart , heck you could TAXI the space shuttle through that gap and no one would see it
12 men deployments would mean that the spacing would be 3.5 miles apart
Just another example of spin from Obama and THUG crew .
I wonder is the Russians , Chinese or any of the countries in the middle east deploy such a MASSIVE group of soldiers to defend their borders ?
When the truth comes out they will probably being handing out maps , food , water and other ” humanitarian aid ” to the border crossers

Sounds like Sen. Corker was a real corker. Mr. Obama wants Republicans to stand up to their base, is there anyone in Congress that could change your mind about the best course to take for our current situation? He’s asking the wrong people for help get the people to embrace his ideas.

If Obama was serious, and not just using this for political gain, then he would use JTF North for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking.

BDU-33 on May 25, 2010 at 5:10 PM

What you suggest is logical and would be helpful. But, I have to disagree. I am a strict constructionist, and Federal troops should not be used to guard the border against illegal immigrants, or even drug smugglers.

We have an entire agency that was created to do just that. It’s time to stop using the military as a backstop (or a doormat) for every issue that plagues the US.

Want to guard the border? Use the border guards. Not enough border guards? Get more. But first you’d have to admit there’s a problem at the border.

JTF North is the Department of Defense organization tasked to support our nation’s federal law enforcement agencies in the identification and interdiction of suspected transnational threats within and along the approaches to the continental United States.

Transnational threats are those activities conducted by individuals or groups that involve international terrorism, narcotrafficking, alien smuggling, weapons of mass destruction, and includes the delivery systems for such weapons that threaten the national security of the United States.

In 1861, Americans had two visions. Following that struggle, Americans had one vision with two different ways to reach the same future. Now, we once again have two visions. There can only be One! We can no longer compromise with the Left without continuing the 50 year old leftward slide. One vision must prevail. One vision must be utterly defeated for all time. The Right’s vision must prevail and let us pray we are on God’s side.

Won’t they scare all “just going out to get an ice cream” families? And what of Presidente Calderone’s speech – to which ALL Democrat’s applauded- are they under the bus now that Obama has read the polls?

I think you’re all missing the point. The President is sending the NG in because he can control their rules of engagement (see federal anti-profiling statutes)…unlike the Arizona police, for instance. And, the locals will no longer be able to use the excellent argument that the Feds aren’t doing their job, either (quite regardless of whether or not the NG actually secures the border).

I think you’re all missing the point. The President is sending the NG in because he can control their rules of engagement (see federal anti-profiling statutes)…unlike the Arizona police, for instance. And, the locals will no longer be able to use the excellent argument that the Feds aren’t doing their job, either (quite regardless of whether or not the NG actually secures the border).

Knott Buyinit on May 26, 2010 at 12:18 AM

Exactly.

Also, according to the WaPo this morning, the NG troops will be acting as “support elements”, specifically in “intelligence, liaison, and data transfer” roles’.

What this means is that the NG OC on the ground will have control of the information flow from BP to the local authorities, and vice versa. Also, any requests for aid from state & local LEO to Federal authorities, or vice versa, will go through him.

Meaning, that all the NG OC has to do to stop anything from being done to impede the northward progress of “liberation forces”- is sit on his hands and deny any requests for anything. Something that I’m sure the officer in question already knows is the best way to avoid the Wrath Of The One.

Oh, and a side note; the primacy of control of the CiC over NG troops was decided by a Supreme Court decision in 1985, when the then-Governor of Ohio, Richard Celeste (D), said that he was in charge of the Ohio NG, and thus President Reagan could not deploy them to Lebanon, Panama, or elsewhere without his consent. SCOTUS stated that the NG of the “several states” were in fact part of the “standing army”, and thus the President, as CiC, could use them exactly like active-duty units, whether a governor agreed or not.

Barry is sending 1200 NG, who won’t be authorized to do anything but sit on their hands, so that he can have political cover (“we’re working to secure the border; we just sent 1200 NG down there”) for his lawsuit against AZ for daring to try and actually enforce immigration law.